Leadership: Comparison of Bill Gates and Benjamin Franklin
...he assignment of formal authority and responsibility for accomplishing a specific task to another person. (1 pg 205) Bill Gates utilizes delegation within the company of Microsoft. He has teams of people that he can depend on to delegate specific tasks to and have confidence that the work will get done. Such as when he needs new software, he can get his team together and describe what he needs and then turn the task over to them. Of course, he has periodic meetings throughout the creation process, so that he can see what progress has been made. During these meetings, he often brings up all the “what ifs” but by doing this it helps to get a better picture of what Bill Gates is looking for and if the team is on the right track. (3) Benjamin Franklin, on the other hand, did not delegate much of his responsibilities and work out to others. He usually took it upon himself to get things done. He believed that in order to get things done right and done well, you had to put your own work into it and provide your own efforts. He was a great man that devoted much of his time into doing his own work and conducting his own experiments. He even went to France himself in order to try and get assistance for the fight against Great Britain and America, during the American Revolution. (2) Benjamin Franklin was a man who was not afraid to roll up his sleeves and dig into the work that needed to be done in order to accomplish the desired result. Innovation. The process of creating new ideas and putting them into action is called innovation. (1 pg 325) Bill Gates has been involved in innovation several times throughout his life and career. He created his first business at age 15, Traf-O-Data; which was a software code that could be used to track traffic data. Along with his business partner, Paul Allen, Bill Gates took his first dive into the computer software industry. He went on to create software code for Macintosh, Apple, and ultimately Microsoft Windows. (3) Benjamin Franklin was very involved in innovation. He is known as a great inventor and scientist. He often recognized many things that he thought needed to be developed. Among the many great things that Benjamin Franklin, invented and developed are the Franklin Lightning Rod, the Franklin Stove, and the Voluntary Association. Benjamin Franklin, aided in the tremendous fear that many people had about lightning. He invented the Franklin Lightning Rod, which is used to protect houses from lightning damage. He also invented the Franklin Stove, which was a stove the provided more heat but used less fuel. He also developed the Voluntary Association, which was a group of individuals that formed together to make the daily life of Philadelphia residents better, such as cleaner streets and establishing a public library. (2) Benjamin Franklin used his creative genius to make not only his life better but also the lives of those around him and around the world better too. Mentor. A mentor is a more experienced person who develops a protégé’s abilities through tutoring, coaching, guidance, and emotional support. (1 pg 473) Bill Gates and Benjamin Franklin are both mentors to many. Their abilities and success have led to many people wanting to be just like them and wanting to be able to use their abilities and strengths to create something as powerful and successful. Bill Gates has many people within his company of Microsoft that he mentors and helps to provide guidance to. (3) Benjamin Franklin has been a mentor to all who have known him and continues to inspire people today. Bill Gates knows and Benjamin Franklin knew how important the future of technology, inventions, and ideas are to the future of the world and they continue to strive to help teach the young minds of today, in order to allow for success tomorrow. Organizational Creativity. Organizational creativity is the creation of novel and useful ideas and products that pertain to the workplace. There are five steps in the creative process: Opportunity or Problem Recognition, Immersion, Incubation, Insight, Verification and Application. (1 pg 326) Bill Gates utilizes organizational creativity in his company of Microsoft, it allows the creative process to continue to develop. Together with his team, Bill gates utilizes the creative process to go through and devise ways to create the best possible software. (3) Benjamin Franklin also utilized the function of organizational creativity, specifically regarding the Voluntary Association. He was able to use the concept of organizational creativity when devising ways to make everyday life better for the residents of Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin, along with the members of the Voluntary Association were able to pick out the problems and use organizational creativity to determine the best solution. As a combined effort of those involved, the result was a wonderful outcome that lead to better living conditions for the residents. (2) Power. Power is the potential or ability to influence decisions and control resources. (1 pg 193) Bill Gates definitely has power in today’s world. His success is a result of his ability to influence the world into realizing the importance of technology and the growing need for computer software technology. His success has given Gates enormous opportunity and power and has allowed him to be at the top of the Computer Technology and Software Industry. (3) Benjamin Franklin was not overly concerned with power. He did however have power and prestige. He displayed his power when he went to France to request assistance with America’s attempt in the American Revolution. He was able to go to France and was openly accepted and acknowledged as a powerful man due to his great inventions and reputation. As a result of his power and reputation, he was able to get assistance from France for America. (2) Referent Power. Referent power is the ability to influence others that stems from the leader’s desirable traits and characteristics. (1 pg 66) Bill Gates is a leader who possesses referent power. He is a man that uses his strengths to get what he wants. He is a man who is focused on the big picture, but he also understands the importance of the people around him. He understands that in order to get what he wants he needs the help of those around him. (3) Benjamin Franklin, also possessed referent power. He was friends to his fellow geniuses and he also knew how to chat with ordinary people at their level. He had genuine qualities about him that resulted in many admiring and adoring him. He was a man that was able to take his personality anywhere and fit in with any crowd. He was not one who felt he was above everyone...